Jake Stark

Danny Spark lives an ultimate playboy lifestyle: sex, drugs, and only the smallest amount of responsibility. And even when things start to catch up with him, he tries to shrug it all off. Everything will always work out in the end, right?
But then he meets Hugo, a young man he's hired to manage the bar at the new club he's running. There's something about Hugo that intrigues Danny, and it hearkens him back to an evening he spent with an old friend years ago. Used to simply pursuing whatever pleasures he desires, Danny thinks he might throw caution to the wind and pursue Hugo. But everything around him is spinning fast, and it's not going to stop just because Danny wants to have some fun.

Hugo is also far more complicated than he seems. He's not a pleasure-seeking playboy like Danny, and he wants more out of life. He looks before he leaps, and the two may not have as much in common as Danny hopes. And he's less than interested in becoming tangled up in the mess Danny has created for himself.

But Danny's never quite felt like this before. He can't shake Hugo. And will that be enough for him to leave his past behind and become a new--and more responsible--man?

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The author has done a great job of presenting Danny to readers here. It's very clear that he is a pleasure-seeker, more interested in fun than consequences. The narration style itself adds to this sentiment, complete with throwing in brand names and an almost stream-of-consciousness feel at times. Danny certainly doesn't evoke any sympathy, and I'm not sure he's supposed to. While he may think his life is glamorous, he soon learns it's not everything he thought it was cracked up to be.

But the book isn't preachy. It doesn't have those overtones. But it tells an interesting and unique sort of story I don't think I've seen anywhere else.

[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.]… (mais)